Volunteers from OLLI at UNLV represented their program as well as the National Network at AARP’s Life@50+ conference, which was held May 30-June 1 in Las Vegas. The conference drew more than 8,000 participants from New York and Virginia, down to Texas and New Orleans, and throughout California. In addition to chatting up locals about the benefits of the OLLI at UNLV experience, they also encouraged hundreds of visitors that stopped by the table to contact their local OLLI office. Maps with each OLLI represented and bookmarks with the National Resource Center website will hopefully steer a few prospective members your way. “The opportunity to partner with the National office to showcase the benefits of our program on this scale is fantastic,” said Dr. Peg Rees, Director of OLLI at UNLV and Vice Provost of Educational Outreach. “Our goal was to have every attendee at the conference buzzing about their local OLLI, whether they live here in Las Vegas or are visiting from across the country.” OLLI at UNLV would like to thank the national office for allowing us to represent our amazing network and for all their support coordinating our AARP experience.

The June/July 2013 issue of Outreach Insights is available. Read about the learning activities and opportunities at UNLV's Division of Educational Outreach.

Continuing Education Director Meni Sarris discusses taking our professional development courses and programs beyond Las Vegas in this article in Nevada Business Magazine.http://www.nevadabusiness.com/2013/08/creating-new-opportunities-execut…

PLI summer beach hosts Efren Gomez and Suheir Nasereddin gained some useful insights into the challenges of volunteer beach cleanup events at Lake Mead National Recreation Area over the summer. Starting in May, Efren and Suheir worked as bilingual event coordinators facilitating beach cleanup events and informational outreach sessions. One of their key assignments for the summer was to quantify and qualify the effects of speaking Spanish with respect to visitors' participation.
The summer outreach program was a collaboration between the National Park Service’s (NPS) Lake Mead National Recreation Area and UNLV’s Public Lands Institute. Efren and Suheir supported summer volunteer programs in cooperation with Chris Pietrofeso and Bryan Goodwin of the NPS volunteer office. Together, they facilitated opportunities for visitors to learn about and participate in volunteer programs at the park. Events included impromptu beach clean-ups and volunteer program information booths at local businesses.
It is always a challenge in a recreational setting to get site visitors to take a break from planned activities to participate in a volunteer event. At Lake Mead, NPS personnel felt there was an additional roadblock to volunteer participation caused by a language barrier between park service representatives and Hispanic visitors. Consequently, PLI and NPS set a goal this year to increase volunteerism among the Hispanic community.
During this summer’s events Efren and Suheir conducted an observational study of the cultural and contextual factors that influence participation in Hispanic visitors. The summer was an ongoing learning experience, but one that yielded valuable data for moving volunteer programs forward in future years.
A summer’s worth of observation and data collection demonstrated that members of the Hispanic community seemed more receptive and interested in impromptu beach clean-ups when they felt related either physically, culturally, or linguistically with a park representative. Simply having representatives who spoke Spanish led to a significant increase in participation rates from last year to this year. Additionally, Hispanic families were more prone to volunteer for a beach clean up as a whole family. In other demographic groups it was far more likely for just a few family members (like kids and/or teenagers) to volunteer for a project. Efren and Suheir noted parents’ endorsement of a program was associated with higher participation in young Hispanics. Observation showed Hispanic parents attached an educational value to the programs, explaining why they encouraged their kids to be part of them.
Understanding the factors that contribute to Hispanic families' decisions to participate in land stewardship and environmental protection programs is essential for the future of volunteer programs at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. This study provides a starting point for designing programs more closely aligned with the cultural mores of the Spanish-speaking community.

Mrs. Salena Aragon’s class of 22 second grade junior Runnin’ Rebels at H.T. Jaramillo Community School in Belen, NM knows as much about UNLV as many incoming freshmen. They’ve learned the fight song, follow Rebel athletics, and can pinpoint Las Vegas on a map. Past students have even made a point of visiting the campus during a vacation.
Jaramillo Community School is the sole New Mexico school participating in the No Excuses University (NEU) network of schools. NEU provides a framework for improving school outcomes based on the belief that all children, even those living in poverty and English Language Learners, can succeed in school and aspire to college. Administrators, teachers, and staff use NEU methodology to positively transform the culture of their schools.
This is the fourth year in a row Mrs. Aragon’s second graders have represented UNLV. The class uses UNLV as a springboard for discussions and projects centered on college readiness, high academic standards, and goal setting. Community2Campus, Admissions and Recruitment, and University Communications put together a university “care package” for the junior Runnin’ Rebels. This year’s box of goodies included university pennants, stickers, backpacks, pencils, and coloring books among other items generously provided from across campus.
In a note to Community2Campus Executive Director, Dr. Liz Baldizan, Mrs. Aragon expressed her gratitude toward UNLV, writing, “Every year my junior Runnin’ Rebels have enjoyed being a part of your school. The students have loved learning about different colleges, hearing their fight songs, finding their locations, but most of all learning that college is an option for them. The students are leaving confident that no matter what, college is attainable for them. It is awesome to see.”
Connecting with the community and inspiring students of all ages to pursue their goals is one of the things staff in the Division of Educational Outreach does best. Kudos to everyone who participated on this project!

"Chasing Butterflies: Endemic Butterflies of the Spring Mountain Range" is the topic of a talk by Daniel Thompson, professor in the UNLV School of Life Sciences, and Paula Garrett, research scientist with the UNLV Public Lands Institute, a unit of the Division of Educational Outreach. The presentation is part of the College of Liberal Arts University Forum Lecture Series and will take place 7:30-8:30pm on Sep. 25 in the auditorium of the Marjorie Barrick Museum on the UNLV Main Campus. The Spring Mountain Range is considered a “sky island” due to its bio-geographic isolation from other mountain ranges of similar elevation. The highest point of the range is Mount Charleston peak. Surrounded on all sides by the Mohave Desert, the Spring Mountains provide the only remaining refuge to a variety of endemic species. These include a number of rare butterflies existing nowhere else in the world. The impact of the Carpenter Canyon Fire in July also will be discussed. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, email liberalarts@unlv.edu.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of National Public Lands Day, the UNLV Public Lands Institute will give away free stainless steel water bottles to the first 20 people attending the University Forum Lecture: Chasing Butterflies. The presentation will take place 7:30-8:30pm on Sep. 25 in the auditorium of the Marjorie Barrick Museum. Daniel Thompson, professor in the UNLV School of Life Sciences, and Paula Garrett, research scientist with the Public Lands Institute, will talk about the Spring Mountain Range as the only remaining refuge to a variety of endemic species, including a number of rare butterflies that exist nowhere else in the world. The lecture is free and open to the public.
National Public Lands Day, which is Sep. 28, is a time to volunteer on public lands and educate youth and adults about their importance. To mark the 20th anniversary, unique features on lands across the country are being highlighted. The Public Lands Institute encourages you to learn more about the public lands in Clark County and volunteer. To find the nearest volunteer opportunity, visit http://www.publiclandsday.org/npld-sites.

Community2Campus kicked off the fall semester with a luncheon honoring its 2013-2014 re-entry scholarship winners. On Sept. 5, the winners noshed and mingled with scholarship donors, representatives from the scholarship selection committee, and university representatives. The lunch was an opportunity to express thanks, share stories, and connect with other scholarship winners.
The atmosphere was one of palpable gratitude. Re-entry scholarships provide a lifeline for students trying to balance home life, work, and school. Some awards were just enough to cover the cost of books; other students were able to cover most of their tuition. In all, 31 re-entry students received $115,775 in financial support for the 2013-2014 academic year thanks to the Bernard Osher Re-entry Scholarship, UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees Re-entry Scholarship, and the Re-entry Friendship Scholarship.
For all the recipients, though, their scholarship offered more than money—it was also a vote of confidence. Over and over again, the students commented on the importance of knowing someone believed in their ability to complete their education and make a positive impact on their community and family. Dawn Matusz shares her story.
Luncheon attendees also heard about the educational journey of past scholarship winner Dawn Hathaway Thoman. After returning to UNLV as a re-entry student, Dawn graduated with the support of a Bernard Osher Re-entry Scholarship. She is now attending UNLV Boyd School of Law.
Commitment to community and family is a distinguishing characteristic of the scholarship group. On the surface, recipients are earning degrees in diverse fields. When the group is looked at collectively, however, Community2Campus Executive Director Liz Baldizan sees patterns emerge that tie many of the recipients together -- returning to complete their education because they want to serve their community in some way. “These students are very other-centered. Many have strong ties to Las Vegas and want to use their education to give back locally,” said Baldizan. In one-on-one meetings, students tell Baldizan their degrees in education, social work, nutrition, business, law, and political science (among others) will be put to use right here in the Las Vegas Valley.
Baldizan also offered insights on what motivates community members to donate specifically to re-entry scholarship programs. The ability to give in any amount plays a key role in donors’ decisions. They are also attracted by the opportunity to direct funds toward a specific student population such as single mothers, first responders, or future educators.
For more information about UNLV’s re-entry scholarship programs, contact Liz Baldizan at 702-774-4626 or Elizabeth.Baldizan@unlv.edu.

The August/September 2013 issue of Outreach Insights is available. Read about the lifelong learning activities and opportunities at UNLV's Division of Educational Outreach.

The digital version of the January-July 2014 Continuing Education Catalog is now available. Visit http://continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog to get a preview of our upcoming classes or be the first to register for one of our most popular courses. You can also download the digital version to refer to later. The print version of the catalog will be mailed the week of Nov. 25. If you are not on the catalog mailing list, you may request a catalog by calling 702-895-3394 or emailing continuing.education@unlv.edu. We would love to have feedback from you after viewing the catalog. Please take a few minutes to complete a short survey at https://unlv.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6X4C1IDVS7dZFad.